Friday, February 28th
Sunnier this morning than yesterday but supposed to cloud up again. This should be the last of the really hot days and then the temps settle in lower 70's. Much nicer for me.
View from our campsite of the orchard.
Today we headed up Highway 150 to Ojai, a small mountain town. (Pronounced Oh Hi)
Ojai is a small city in Ventura County, California, northwest of Los Angeles. Set in a valley in the Topatopa Mountains, the city has a village-like center dotted with art galleries and New Age shops. Bordering the north, Los Padres National Forest is crisscrossed with meandering trails. Apparently Brittany Spears owns an estate here along with other LA celebrities.
We headed up the highway about 9am. Noticed this beautiful structure so we stopped. The security guard said we could go up to take some pictures at Thomas Aquinas College.
Thomas Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college with its main campus in Ventura County, California. A second campus opened in Northfield, Massachusetts in 2018. It offers an education system with courses based on the Great Books and seminar method.
Sunnier this morning than yesterday but supposed to cloud up again. This should be the last of the really hot days and then the temps settle in lower 70's. Much nicer for me.
View from our campsite of the orchard.
Today we headed up Highway 150 to Ojai, a small mountain town. (Pronounced Oh Hi)
Ojai is a small city in Ventura County, California, northwest of Los Angeles. Set in a valley in the Topatopa Mountains, the city has a village-like center dotted with art galleries and New Age shops. Bordering the north, Los Padres National Forest is crisscrossed with meandering trails. Apparently Brittany Spears owns an estate here along with other LA celebrities.
We headed up the highway about 9am. Noticed this beautiful structure so we stopped. The security guard said we could go up to take some pictures at Thomas Aquinas College.
Thomas Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college with its main campus in Ventura County, California. A second campus opened in Northfield, Massachusetts in 2018. It offers an education system with courses based on the Great Books and seminar method.
Back on the road to Ojai. Although only 13 miles away it takes 22 minutes to drive it with all the windy roads.
Before going down the mountain into the valley we stopped at the viewpoint for some pictures. This valley seems to primarily grow citrus including clementine oranges.
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| Canola Fields, I believe |
Before going down the mountain into the valley we stopped at the viewpoint for some pictures. This valley seems to primarily grow citrus including clementine oranges.
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| The road down the mountain. |
Once we entered the town we drove from one end of the main street to the other then parked and went for a walk. Most of the businesses are very eclectic with a lot of artwork and women's clothing for sale.
City Park
Ojai Museum and Tourist Information Building
City Park
Ojai Museum and Tourist Information Building
Ray found a "Pub" to have lunch at called the Ojai Beverage Company. Liquor store in front and restaurant in the back. 50 beers on tap! Yumm. Fish tacos for Ray and Lobster and Crab on Hawaiian rolls for me.
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| Look at all those taps! |
After lunch Ray purchased a six pack of the beer he enjoyed the most. Even had avocado in it!
Back in the car we drove up the mountain a ways to see a lake/reservoir ... empty!
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| Which beer should I choose? |
Time to head back home. Pretty hot out at 84F ... too hot for me to walk around anymore. Spring has sprung in this valley.
The peacocks are teasing Freya.
The peacocks are teasing Freya.
Saturday, February 29th ... Leap Year.
Woke up to a sun and cloud mix today and much cooler. There abnormal high temps have slipped back into normal territory, the high 60's. Today we decided to do the drive to Malibu Beach along the ocean. Did not want to drive towards LA on a weekday! Also there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow so today would be the better day. Anyways it probably would have been less traffic as the Saturday bunch was quite thick along the beaches on the coast and lineups at all the restaurants.
I stopped many times along the coast for Ray to take pictures. Ray jumped out of the car and took his pictures while I waited. (My left knee is now having an "arthritic event", so painful to bend, not too much walking for me for a few days. Back on Ibuprofen for a few days and ice.) We stopped at a roadside vendor for some fresh strawberries. We noticed workers picking them in different areas all the way down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Huge berries.
First stop was at Mugu Canyon Rest Area:
This shows Highway 1 erosion. The new highway section is blasted out of hillside, back 200 feet or so.
Leo Carrillo State Beach:
Next up, through a subdivision to get to Point Dume. I stayed in the car and wait, as there is amazingly no parking available for such a popular stop. (My knee was too sore anyways.)
Point Dume Views:
Zuma Beach
Malibu views:
Finally we decided to go for lunch on the Malibu Pier at a Farm to Table Cafe. Quite the place. Three different venues all serving the same food. There were lineups at the first venue so we walked the pier and ended up eating at the cafe at the end of it. A great choice. We were there just before the major rush. You should have seen the line-ups as we were leaving.
Malibu Pier and views:
After lunch Ray drove us the hour back home as of course I drank a beer and don't drive.This way I got to see the scenery. lol Traffic was substantially busier until we got to the end of the Malibu strip then smooth sailing home.
Woke up to a sun and cloud mix today and much cooler. There abnormal high temps have slipped back into normal territory, the high 60's. Today we decided to do the drive to Malibu Beach along the ocean. Did not want to drive towards LA on a weekday! Also there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow so today would be the better day. Anyways it probably would have been less traffic as the Saturday bunch was quite thick along the beaches on the coast and lineups at all the restaurants.
I stopped many times along the coast for Ray to take pictures. Ray jumped out of the car and took his pictures while I waited. (My left knee is now having an "arthritic event", so painful to bend, not too much walking for me for a few days. Back on Ibuprofen for a few days and ice.) We stopped at a roadside vendor for some fresh strawberries. We noticed workers picking them in different areas all the way down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Huge berries.
First stop was at Mugu Canyon Rest Area:
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| Point Mugu NAS in the distance. This lagoon is a protected area for birds. |
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| Pt. Mugu State Park |
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| Surf Fisher, all decked out. |
Thornhill Broome State Park Beach Camping:
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| Tight nose to tail camping for about 30 footers but did see a longer trailer in the line-up. |
Next up, through a subdivision to get to Point Dume. I stayed in the car and wait, as there is amazingly no parking available for such a popular stop. (My knee was too sore anyways.)
Point Dume Views:
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| Point Dune and Zuma Beach |
Zuma Beach
Malibu views:
Malibu Pier and views:
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| Rooftop patio. |
The lineup for the cafe when we were leaving!
After lunch Ray drove us the hour back home as of course I drank a beer and don't drive.This way I got to see the scenery. lol Traffic was substantially busier until we got to the end of the Malibu strip then smooth sailing home.
Back home we relaxed outside for awhile and then moved inside at 5pm. Today's temp only reached 67F compared to 84F yesterday! Forecast is for some rain tomorrow ... a good day to do laundry. Two more days and we are on our way towards home.
Today the bunnies tease Freya across the road from us.
Today the bunnies tease Freya across the road from us.
Man you hit some beautiful spots along the coast. Sorry about your knee...hopefully its better now. Holy line-up for that cafe! Good timing.
ReplyDeleteKnee is better. It usually only lasts a week when I get a flare up. Yes that was amazing that so many people were there. We used Ray's handicapped pass to we could park, otherwise we would have been several blocks away. I needed it anyways. :)
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